Cities must be allowed to evolve: Technology can help a lot, but cities are not like machines to be engineered and controlled through big data feeds. Cities must be allowed to change and evolve, and such a process is not one of simple engineering optimisation, especially when looking at development issues. There are very few consistent studies on how settlements evolve over time, and there is a real need for more.

City planning needs input from all levels of society: Community engagement is key to identifying and prioritising issues and developing practical planning solutions. Work since the 1960s by planners such as John Turner influenced policy to rely primarily on communities for their own development. However, taken to an extreme this approach is not the answer. Sanitation and law enforcement are typical areas where community-driven efforts often struggle, but such problems can be solved well by plans developed jointly between communities and the relevant agencies or authorities.

Around a billion people worldwide live in poor informal settlements, or 'slums'. To address this issue the Santa Fe Institute have an ongoing project in collaboration with Slum Dwellers International to better understand and measure the main issues shared by informal neighborhoods across cities and nations.

Don't overestimate the role of technology: The global discourse on cities has to some extent been co-opted by an idealistic vision of the kind of technologies that will facilitate urban life in the future. From a global development perspective, it's important not to let these expectations affect the way cities are built, as they are not guaranteed.

Link planners and communities to create new participatory frameworks: Working on human development gives architects and urban planners a chance not only to apply their practical skills but to mediate and encourage dialogue between institutions and communities.

Participatory planning should be context-specific: Progress and social indicators can mean different things in different places, so finding common ground on how to practice community participatory planning isn't always easy. We can think of some broad principles on how to understand planning, but when it comes to practice, planning engagement processes and facilitating participatory actions will inevitably differ.

Think of cities as key agents of development: Development projects often focus on planning, and remain within the household or neighbourhood level. However, it's important to take a step back and focus on the role of urban form and structure as an agent for or against poverty alleviation, because cities can be key agents in both forming and solving development challenges.

Resources:

There are some great examples of the use of mobile technologies in planning these days. The non-profit technology company Ushahidi, for example, are doing some interesting work.

New urban growth should not be rushed: The private sector also needs to take on a longer-term perspective. There are cities that are getting it right and we need to ensure lessons learned inspire others to take action with a long term and inclusive perspective. As it stands today, the consensus is that if nothing changes, the urbanisation of the next 20 years will be led by informal settlements which will lack basic infrastructure and services which will be expensive to provide. We can do better than that and enable cities to grow in a participatory but orderly manner which enables a higher quality of life.

Make the best of resources in poor communities: Planners and community leaders should find ways that maximise and optimise the resources poor communities have already invested in to create safer places with adequate services, infrastructure and housing. Tube house settlements in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, Villa el Salvador in Peru and the city of Neza in the Mexico City Metropolitan Area, are all great examples. Smart planning takes the lead from the people and enables local initiatives to be transformed in sustainable urban growth.

Resources:

'Land value capture' and 'land readjustment' can be used to ensure that some of the wealth inherent in urban growth and redevelopment is reinvested as public goods rather than only as private profits. The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy has excellent publications on land value capture. I would highly recommend consulting Martin Smolka's publication here.

Collect better, broader data: There is certainly a need for more quantitative data in order to better forecast and plan urban development. However, if we are to fully understand the ongoing processes in slums and informal settlements, it's vital to incorporate more social, qualitative research methods, to get data based on the knowledge of the communities. It won't be possible to devise a successful planning strategy without this.

Acknowledge how collaboration benefits everyone: For planners, collaboration brings a first-hand perspective on the issues that concern the community. For communities, it reinforces a view that local authorities are willing to solve their problems. And for both of them it allows further understanding about which resources are available at each level, and to find solutions and strategies to solve problems accordingly.

This interesting report by Future Proofing Cities reaffirms the fact that communities are bound to grow. This means that spaces where planners and local leaders can exchange ideas are vital. These spaces can be occupied not only by academics, but by private actors too – see Ashoka's approach to this, they call it creating hybrid value chains.

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